Elite open-wheel motor racing series Formula 1 (F1) has accepted a bid from US car giant General Motors (GM) for entry to the competition as its 11th team in 2026.
GM is set to enter F1 in partnership with motorsports ownership group TWG Global, and will race under the name of its luxury car brand Cadillac.
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For the first two seasons of its existence, GM will utilize another constructor’s engines (reportedly Ferrari’s) before a later date, likely 2028, when it will also become a factory team, through which it can then produce its own engines and those for other vehicles.
In order to enter the competition, GM and TWG will have to pay an “anti-dilution fee”, effectively compensation to be split among the other 10 teams on the grid for the prize money they lose by having an extra competitor to split the total prize pot with.
This fee is reported to be around $450 million, which is more than double the legislated $200 million, but with those rules set to change soon and the fee expected to rise prior to 2026, it is likely GM has been told to pay extra in order to meet future rules rather than adhere to current ones.
Speaking on GM’s entry, Greg Maffei, chief executive and president of F1 owner Liberty Media, stated: “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport.”
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By GlobalDataWhile current F1 team Haas is also US-based, it is not a power unit supplier.
The move means F1 will have an 11-team grid for the first time since the 2016 season, after which the Manor Racing constructor folded.
This conforms to the wishes of F1 chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the motor racing governing body the International Automobile Federation (FIA), who in the past has expressed his desire for a 12-team grid.
F1 last had a 12-team grid in 2012, after which the HRT team was disbanded.
Ben Sulayem was a prominent backer of the failed Andretti bid for F1 entry – that submission has now morphed into the GM bid, which Andretti (owned by TWG Global) is a part of, although not the lead on.
Andretti’s bid, in partnership with GM and the Cadillac brand, was rejected due to F1 management’s lack of belief that Andretti would be competitive, adding that its lack of in-house power supply would be “damaging to the prestige and standing of the championship."
The bid’s rejection, despite support from Ben Sulayem and FIA approval, led to chief Michael Andretti stepping back from the team.
This entry has been unveiled with the 2024 F1 season having just two races – Qatar and Abu Dhabi – remaining.
